Nov, 2025
16 Years Old and a 32-Centimetre Growth – Holly Had to Fight for Her Life
In October last year, 16-year-old Holly was doing what most teenagers do – studying for exams, catching up with friends, heading to the beach, and dreaming about the summer ahead. Life was full, busy and happy.
She never imagined it would all come to sudden halt.
Just 3-months before Christmas, Holly noticed that her stomach was bloated, and she was feeling nauseous. She shrugged it off at first, putting it down to acid reflux or side effects from new medication. But something didn’t feel quite right.
Holly and her dad, Mark, visited their local GP, who confirmed the level of bloating wasn’t normal. Scans and blood tests were ordered and what came next was something no family ever expects to hear.
“The scans showed I had a 32-centimetre growth across my stomach lining.” Holly recalled.
That growth turned out to be desmoplastic small round tumour – an extremely rare and life-threatening form of cancer.
Then came the worst news a parent could ever receive, “Your daughter doesn’t have long to live.” For the next 36 hours, Mark didn’t sleep. He was in shock, anxious and desperate for hope when it felt like there was none.
“It felt like our entire world came crashing down,” he said. “It was the most traumatising thing I have ever gone through.”
The discovery of the tumour changed everything. School stopped. Friends drifted away. And the carefree teenager who had been planning her holidays now faced the fight of her life – a reality no teenager should ever have to endure.
Holly, just months before her world flipped upside down, showing off her new L plates.
Holly required immediate specialist care and was transferred into the public healthcare system, seeing her spend time across multiple hospitals and health precincts. She was given a plan of how she could fight her diagnosis and for the first time, Mark received the news he had so desperately wanted for his daughter – there was hope.
“It was not what I expected,” Holly recalled. “I didn’t think my year would be this way. Everything felt uncertain. I spent the first two months in hospital.”
The usual teenage worries – grades, summer plans, friendships – were replaced with hospital walls, oncology appointments and gruelling chemotherapy sessions.
This was Holly’s new reality. Year 12 would have to wait. She had to put everything she had into fighting for her life.
“There’s nothing worse than watching your child go through something you can’t fix,” Mark said. “All I could do was be there for her. But it’s hard to put on a brave face when you’re also terrified of the outcome.”
Those early days were some of the hardest. Holly was scared and had her ups and downs. But even then, she searched for the positives. “I always try to look for the light in everything,” she said.
During her time in hospital, Holly made friends with other children, bonding over shared experiences and supporting one another through their darkest moments. Some of those friends didn’t make it, and that was tough.
“You walk through the halls, and you see what families are going through,” Mark said. “You start to realise you don’t have it as bad as some. It was difficult to see and experience.”
Holly’s treatment plan was intense, with constant hospital visits. Yet she continued to look for the light in even the smallest of forms. One of her favourites was the Bravery Box in the Gold Coast University Hospital Children’s Outpatients ward – filled with toys, games and fidgets, replenished regularly through donations to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation.
“I was obsessed with that box,” Holly laughed. “It was the best! I always had fun going through it. It doesn’t seem like much, but one toy can make your whole day. It’s so important for kids who are going through illness.”
When her oncology nurses, Michelle and Liz, noticed Holly needed a lift, they reached out to the Foundation for some extra support.
“The Foundation team organised a private Gold Class screening of Wicked for me and my friends at Event cinemas,” Holly said.
It was the first time in months she’d seen many of them since her diagnosis. It was a chance to laugh, relax and escape the hospital walls.
“I was a little nervous seeing everyone – I was still really sick,” Holly recalled. “But I definitely needed it. I was going through a rough patch, and it was hard for my friends to understand what I was going through. The screening helped lighten everything. I got to reconnect with friends who I hadn’t seen for some time. I felt like a regular teenager again. It was great.”
After 12 long months of intensive treatment, countless surgeries and endless appointments, Holly finally reached the milestone she had dreamed of – ringing the “end of treatment” bell to signify that this chapter of her life was closed.
The day she rang the bell. Pictured with nurses Michelle & Liz, who treated her like family.
“It was so surreal. It felt like a dream,” Holly shared. “I was thinking this can’t be real. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. You can’t understand how meaningful that moment is until you’re there.”
As the sound of the bell echoed through the ward, her best friend stood beside her. For Mark, it was the moment he had desperately wanted since that first devastating diagnosis.
Today, Holly is back at school, catching up on classes and reconnecting with friends. She loves the beach again, feeling the sand beneath her feet and the ocean on her skin after a year of being unable to swim. A satisfying feeling at the end of a long journey.
And now, she’s dreaming big.
Her time in hospital has inspired her to pursue a career as a child psychologist, helping other kids find hope during their toughest moments.
“Being around kids in hospital made me realise what I want to do,” she said, “I want to help people see the light in everything.”
It’s a philosophy that carried her through her darkest days and now shapes the life she wants to build. She has a message for anyone facing hard times.
“Even though there’s pain, try to see the positives. Make friends and get people around to help. I wouldn’t have made it without those around me who saved my life.”
Holly knows firsthand how much a simple act of generosity can mean.
“Even the smallest donation can save someone’s life,” she said. “Donations helped me, and they can help other children and adults too. A dollar donation can literally save many lives.”
Holly’s recovery was made possible not just by medical care, but by the kindness, support, and generosity of the local community.
From the bravery box that brought her comfort and joy, to the special moments, like the Gold Class movie screening that helped her reconnect – every act of giving made a difference.
Holly is loving life post-treatment, always living with a smile on her face.
When every second counts this Christmas, be the difference to a patient’s life. Be the light someone needs when they are facing their toughest moments.
Donate now and make a life-changing impact this Christmas.